Angry words, recall threat, hurt Armenian pride: Fresno Unified board is in turmoil
The antagonism on public display recently between Fresno Unified School District trustees leaves one wondering if this board has reached a new low point.
Trustee Terry Slatic, upset at new rules imposed by his colleagues that limit how often he can meet with district Superintendent Bob Nelson, used the Aug. 25 board meeting as a kind of filibustering exercise in protest.
FUSD Board President Valerie Davis ended the meeting after less than a full hour following numerous failed attempts to silence the disgruntled trustee. Slatic continued to speak even after his microphone was shut off and parents were trying to address the board directly.
Then earlier this week Slatic announced that he had asked the Fresno County District Attorney’s public integrity unit to investigate four trustees and Nelson for allegedly violating the state Education Code requirement that teachers be alerted about transfer students who have violent histories.
On Wednesday school board clerk Keshia Thomas called Slatic a “bully” and characterized him as “a nuisance and a liability.”
In 2019 the board majority censured Slatic for multiple incidents at Bullard High, which he represents. Investigations into these incidents concluded that Slatic violated board policies, including failing to “govern responsibly” and blurring the distinctions between board and staff roles.
The latest open displays of anger reflect the disdain that the board majority has for Slatic, and he for the “five left-leaning women of color,” as he refers to his colleagues. He calls himself “one retired white male Marine.”
These optics are hard to ignore, and they reflect difficulties the board members have had with each other for several years now. It is unfortunate they occur when the district is already operating under the pressures of the COVID pandemic. According to the district’s dashboard, 585 students and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus since June — the majority of them in August, when in-person instruction resumed.
If ever there was a time for unified leadership of California’s third-largest school district, it is now.
Recall effort
Slatic makes no secret of his belief that Fresno Unified is failing to properly educate its more than 70,000 students. The not-so-veiled inference is that his fellow board members are falling down in their mission if they don’t join him in calling out and addressing the deficiencies.
But the other trustees have more to worry about than just Slatic.
The controversy over removing the Native American warrior as the mascot of Fresno High School has sparked anger among alumni and interest in recalling some of the trustees. James Tuck, a Fresno High graduate who opposed changing the mascot, blames the board majority for ignoring the views of alumni. He believes a recall is needed now to improve the schooling that FUSD students receive.
Then there are Fresno residents of Armenian heritage who are upset at a board decision not to name a new school after H. Roger Tatarian, a native who went on to head United Press International, a global news service, and then became an instructor at Fresno State. Despite Fresno’s large Armenian community, not a single campus bears the name of an Armenian person. Bestowing such an honor should be done as soon as practical, and Tatarian would be just the person to recognize.
Solvable problems?
Can the board members learn to work together? It seems doubtful. For one thing, Slatic would have to give up his working with those interested in a recall election.
But one idea would be to enlist the services of mediation experts from Fresno Pacific University. If the trustees would commit themselves to honoring a mediated settlement of their differences, maybe the board could move forward in a more positive way.
Four trustees are on the November 2022 ballot: Thomas, Davis, Genoveva Islas and Slatic.
Fresno residents are certainly within their legal rights to try to qualify a special election for a recall. But it is not the ideal way to elect a school member — or any other official. For one thing, a compressed campaign for recall would not let voters learn enough about possible replacement candidates. Besides, the 2022 election is not that far off. It would be better to wait several more months and let the normal process play out.
Slatic raises an important issue about the performance of Fresno Unified students. Latino and Black students have underperformed for years. A focus needs to be on getting them to improve.
But reform by recall is not the best way to help Fresno Unified’s students. Elected board members working together for good is the better solution.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 10:19 AM.
